Carlin looks ahead after near medal miss at worlds

Jazmin Carlin came within a whisker of securing Britain’s first medal on the first night of the World Swimming Championships in Barcelona but she insists all is not lost.

The 22-year-old agonisingly missed out on 400m freestyle bronze in Spain after being pipped into third by just 14-hundredths of a second by New Zealand’s Lauren Boyle.

Her time of 4:04.03minutes was a new personal best, a good omen according to Carlin ahead of her outings over 1500m and 800m later in the week.

But Katie Ledecky waltzed her way to victory in 3:59.82, and the battle with reigning 800m Olympic champion promises to go on all week for Carlin, starting with Monday’s 1500m freestyle heats.

“I am absolutely gutted. I really wanted to be on that podium. I fought hard and it’s disappointing to be so close to bronze but that’s what happens,” she said.

“I’ve got the rest of the week to get myself up. If someone would have told me last year I would finish fourth at the World Championships I would have taken it.

“On the day you want to be on the podium, you want to be the best but the 400, is probably the weakest of the three, which is what my coach says, but I’m excited for the 1500m and the 800m.”

James Guy also missed out on a medal in the men’s 400m freestyle but the 17-year-old admitted a fifth-place finish was beyond his wildest dreams.

“It has been one of the best days of my life, I never thought I’d make the final of the World Championships,” said Guy, who clocked 3:47.96, a tenth of a second slower than the heats where he set a new personal best.

Elsewhere, Ben Proud conceded that he was slightly overawed as he made his world debut in the 50m butterfly but vowed to bounce back stronger than ever in the 50m freestyle.

Proud, who smashed Mark Foster’s ten-year-old national 50m butterfly record at the British Championships in Sheffield last month, struggled to keep with the pace in the semi-finals, finishing 11th overall.

“It’s quite a big shock coming to this event, racing on day one, I didn’t know what to expect so to come away with the third best swim of my life, I can’t complain really,” said Proud, who touched home in 23.33 seconds.

In the women’s 200m medley both Sophie Allen and Siobhan-Marie O’Connor made their way through to the final, but the latter had a nervous wait.

O’Connor had finished ninth after the semi-finals, but following Australian Emily Seebohm’s late withdrawal she will now take part in Monday’s showpiece.

Jemma Lowe wasn’t as fortunate in the women’s 100m butterfly semis, she remained ninth and missed out on the final.

Elsewhere Olympic silver medallist Michael Jamieson and Ross Murdoch also fell at the semi-final stage in the men’s 100m breaststroke.